Railway rail fastener



Feb. 10, 1953 J. M. FAWCETT 2,628,035

RAILWAY RAIL FASTENER Filed June 14, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet l Z;fg.1.

Feb. 10, 1953 J. M. FAWCETT 2,628,035

RAILWAY RAIL FASTENER Filed June 14, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 RAILWAY RAIL FASTENER Filed June 14, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 1 aav ea 1 C F14 I 7: Q

Jalne-s M izwoew,

Patented Feb. 10, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RAILWAY RAIL FASTENER- James M. Fawcett, Chicago, 1]].

Application June 14, 1948, Serial No. 32,787

6 Claims.

This invention relates to fasteners for railway rails, and has particular reference to improvements in rail fasteners of the type whichresemble and are designed to be applied in the same general manner as standard rail fastening spikes, but which, as distinguished from standard spikes, include a resilient arm for cooperation with a rail to hold the same against creeping longitudinally.

Heretofore, the resilient arm of rail fasteners of the type referred to usually has been designed to engage the top face of the rail flange. As a consequence, the vertical wave motion of which a rail partakes due to the passage of rolling stock over the same has applied lifting, loosening forces to the fasteners and the same, therefore, have not remained tight.

Accordingly, the primary object of the present invention is to provide a rail fastener of the type referred to in which the resilient arm thereof is designed to accomplish its function of preventing longitudinal creeping of the rail by acting laterally against the web of the rail rather than downwardly upon the rail flange as heretofore. whereby the fastener is subjected to little or no lifting, loosening forces by the vertical wave motion of the rail and therefore remains tight.

Another special and important object of the present invention is to provide a rail fastener of the type referred to in which the resilient arm thereof is formed to exert, in response to even only slight longitudinal movement of the rail, an intense and progressively increasing binding action against the rail web to counteract any force or forces tending to move the rail longitudinally, whereby any longitudinal creeping movement of the rail is restricted to an inconsequential small amount.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will become more fully apparent as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in a rail fastener embodying the novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts as are illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, and as will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein like characters of reference denote corresponding parts in related views:

Figure 1 is a top plan view illustrating one manner of employing a pair of fasteners constructed in accordance with the invention to hold a rail against creeping longitudinally in either direction, the rail being shown in horizontal section.

Figure 2 is a transverse section on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 1 illustrating fasteners of alternative form employed in a manner different from the fasteners of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a cross sectional view similar to Figure 2 of the structure shown in Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a cross sectional view illustrating another alternative form of the present fastener; and

Figures 6 and 7 are detail fragmentary elevations illustrating modifications which may be incorporated in fasteners formed in accordance with the invention. I

Referring to the drawings in detail, A designates a portion of a railway cross tie, B designates a portion of a tie plate superimposed upon the tie A, and C designates a portion of a rail seated upon the tie plate 3. all in accordance with common and well known practice.

The tie plate illustrated is of a standard type and is provided, as usual, with a pair of ribs I0, III which define therebetween a seat for the base of the rail 0 and which cooperate with the edges of the rail base flanges I I, I I to hold the rail against lateral movement. Also, said tie plate is provided, as usual, to either side of its rail base seat and adjacent to the latter, with a air of spaced apart spike holes I2.

Referring now to the present rail fastener, it will be observed that the same comprises, generally speaking, a shank I3 and a resilient arm I4 extending laterally from the upper end of said shank, the former to be driven through a hole I2 in the tie plate B tightly into a, hole I5 bored in the tie A, and the latter to extend inwardly relative to the rail 0 across and above a base flange II thereof intoengagement with the rail web IS.

The present fastener is formed from a single length of spring steel stock which is of rectangular shape in cross section and which is bent upon itself to provide the shank I3. The said shank I3 thus is composed of outer and inner legs I1 and I8, respectively, which are joined together at their lower ends where they' EpreferabIy are suitably tapered to afford a somewhat pointed end for the shank l3 to facilitate driving of the latter.

The stock from which the fastener is formed is approximately twice as -wide as it is thick and has a width approximately equal to the width of the shank of a standard rail fastening spike. Thus, the shank I3 of the present fastener has approximately the sameicross sectional size and shape as the shank of aj standard spike whereby it is adapted to fit standard-size spike holes. of standard tie plates.., r.

The shank I3 is ofajbitrary length, but preferably is commensurate-in length with the shank of a standard spike. In any event, the outer arm I! of said shank constitutes the driving arm thereof and to that end may be terminated at its upper end in any suitable manner to enable ready striking of the same by a driving implement. On the other hand, the resilient arm 54 is constituted by an extension of the upper end of the inner leg l8, which extension first is bent downwardly and inwardly relative to said leg on a generous are, as indicated at it, to extend laterally inward from said leg, as indicated at 20, and then is bent in its plane so that its terminal portion "2| is disposed at substantially right angles to its portion 2a and well to one side of the latter and the shank I3.

As will be apparent from the drawing, the fastener is adapted to be applied in the manner of a standard spike by driving the shank 13 through a spike hole l2. in the tie plate B into a hole i5 bored in the tie A. and with the arm it extending inwardly from said shank :3 toward the rail. 1

The length of the. arm H3 is such that by the act f pply n the-:fastener said arm is'flexed outwardly and thereby has spring energy stored therein which maintains the inner face. of the terminal portion 2! of said arm engaged tightly against the rail web it. Thus, any longitudinal movement of the rail in a direction counter to the direction in which the terminal portion 2! of the arm It is offset with respect to the portion of said arm and the shank ii; will, due to friction between the rail web and the inner face of said terminal portion, tend to swing said arm in a direction to cause its said terminal portion to bind against the rail web with an intensity which will progressively increase. with increase in the amount of longitudinal movement of the rail. Consequently, any appreciable longitudinal movement of the rail will be effectively prevented.

If any given rail is to be restrained against longitudinal movement'in only one direction, any suitable number of the present fasteners may be used at only one side of the rail. If, on the other hand, any given rail is to be restrained against longitudinal movement in both directions, any suitable number of the present fasteners may be employed at each side of the rail with those at one side arranged to restrain the movement in one direction and those at the a other side arranged to restrain the movement in the opposite direction: Moreover, if the present fasteners are employed at each side of any given rail, they may be'applied eitheras shown in Figure 1 with theirterminal portions 21. di-

rectly oppositev each other or, as shown in Figure 3, with their terminal portions offset with res that, if desired, the upper portion of the outer leg 11b of the shank of the present fastener may be bent inwardly, as indicated at 23, to overlie the offset 22 of the inner leg 18b so that when the upper end of the leg 11b is struck by a driving implement the driving force is imparted directly to both legs of the shank of the fastener. Figure 5 further illustrates that, if desired, the terminal upper end portion of the outer leg 11b of the shank of'th'e fastener may be bent to extend laterally outward to afford a head 24 of considerable area to be struck by a driving implement.

Figure 6 illustrates that, if desired, one of the legs of the shank of the present fastener may be bowed outwardly, as indicated at 25, for inwar'd fiexure when the shank is driven into a tie to cause the shank to be retained more securely in the tie, while Figure 7 illustrates that, if desired, a fastener of the type shown in either of Figures 1 to 4 may have the terminal, upper end portion of the outer leg of its shank bent to afford a large area driving head '26. I

According to each of the diiferent forms of the fastener, the legs of the shank preferably normally diverge upwardly so that they are sprung together when the shank is driven into a tie and by their constant tendency thereafter to spring apart, hold the shank securely fastened in the tie.

Due'to the resilient arm of the present fastener cooperating with the rail web rather than with the rail flange, it is apparent that the natural vertical wave motion of which the rail partakes as a result of rolling stock passing over the same has little or no tendency to lift and loosen said fastener and that, therefore, the same will remain tight indefinitely at least insofar as any loosening of the same by wave motion of the rail is concerned. Moreover, it is apparent that the present fastener does not interfere with the rail partaking of its natural vertical wave motion.

According to any of the formsof the invention the free end portion of the arm hi may be disspect to each other longitudinally of therail, I

posed in the same horizontal plane as the remainder of said arm or may be bent downwardly as indicated at 27 to better grip-the. Web'of the rail.

From the foregoing description considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, it is believed that the construction of the present fastener and the manner of its use will be clearly understood and its advantagesappreciated. It

. is desired to point out, however, that while only Figures 3 and 4 of the drawings illustrate. that,

if desired, the resilient arm it may be twisted so that the wider face of its terminal portion 1 Zia bears against the rail web It and thus has a greater area of contact therewith than according to the Figures 1 and'z embodiment of the invention wherein the narrower face or-edgeof the terminal portion 2! contacts the rail web. In

certain specific forms of said fastener have been illustrated and described; the same is readily capable of embodiment inspecifically diiferent forms within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

- claim:

'1. A rail fastener formed from single length of spring steel stock of rectangular shape inc-rose section having a width f approximately twice its thickness, said stock being bent upon itself "to provide a shank composed of an outer leg and an inner leg to be driven tightly into a hole in a tie,

a resilient arm constituting an extension of the upper end of said inner leg, said arm extending inwardly from said shank for clearance above the base flange of a rail so as not to interfere with vertical wave motion of the rail when the fastener is in a rail fastening position, said arm having a free end portion for frictional gripping engagement with the web of the rail when the fastener is in a rail fastening position, said arm being of a length such that when the fastener is in a rail fastening position said arm is flexed outwardly and has spring energy stored therein to maintain its free end portion in firm frictional gripping engagement with the rail web.

2. A rail fastener as set forth in claim 1 in which the resilient arm has its free end portion offset to one side of the shank of the fastener whereby any longitudinal movement of the rail in a direction counter to the direction in which said arm is offset relative to said shank causes said free end portion to progressively increase its gripping effect against the rail web to resist such longitudinal movement of the rail.

3. A rail fastener as set forth in claim 1 in which the outer leg of the shank has its top portion bent to extend laterally outward to afford a head of large area to be struck by an implement for driving the shank into a hole in the tie.

4. A rail fastener as set forth in claim 1 in which the resilient arm is twisted to dispose the fiat side of its free end portion for engagement with the rail web.

5. A rail fastener as set forth in claim 1 in which the upper end portion of the inner leg of the shank is offset inwardly with respect to the shank to overlie an edge portion of the rail flange in slight spaced relationship thereto so as to constitute a positive stop to limit upward motion of the rail.

6. A rail fastener as set forth in claim 1 in which the upper end portion of the inner leg of the shank is offset inwardly with respect to the shank to overlie an edge portion of the rail flange in slight spaced relationship thereto so as to constitute a positive stop to limit upward motion of the rail, and in which the upper end portion of the outer leg of the shank is offset into overlying contacting relationship to the offset of said inner leg so that driving blows applied to the top of said outer leg are transmitted directly from the latter to said inner leg.

JAMES M. FAWCETT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,023,871 Payne et a1 Apr. 23, 1912 1,886,265 Andreianov Nov. 1, 1932 2,209,552 Armstrong July 30, 1940 2,224,940 Warr -J. Dec. 17, 1940 2,600,089 Arthur et a1 June 10, 1952 

